Nine Thousand, Four Hundred Yen
by Autumn Win-Dow
Summary: When there is only thirty minutes left of Hotaru's birthday, and Ruka takes immediate action.


_**Nine Thousand Four Hundred Yen**_

**by Autumn Win-Dow**

(AoGA House Cup. Words: 2045)

* * *

_October 25__th__, 20XX - 11:30 p.m._

"It's your birthday?!" Ruka exclaimed as he stared in bewilderment at the black haired woman handling paperwork at her office desk.

"You're loud. You should feel lucky that no one else is in this building at the moment, besides security." Hotaru monotonously replied as she scanned the content of a freshly printed contract. "Also, if you weren't my secretary, I think I would have fired you ages ago."

"But Imai, you're straying away from the point here." He sighed as he paced around her office. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"It's nothing important, Nogi. Let me do my work." She remained indifferent as she continued to work.

Ruka wasn't keen on dropping the matter, however. "_Nothing important_? It's your birthday! Why didn't you go out with friends today to celebrate it?"

"No one really celebrates my birthday. It's always been like this." Hotaru admitted, although a bit too casually, as she licked her thumb and shuffled through files.

Ruka realised that he had never seen Hotaru spend time with anyone who wasn't more than an acquaintance or a business partner. She was very professional in regards to her relationships, and he had never once seen her smile when it came to something other than acting or money.

"Seriously? You've never celebrated it even once?"

Hotaru huffed at his question. "Of course I've celebrated it before, when I was four. Now be quiet."

Ruka scoffed at her statement – he couldn't take it anymore. He glanced at his watch before dashing towards where she sat and grabbing her arm.

"Nogi. What do you think you're doing?!" Hotaru asked him in disbelief, slightly put off guard by his sudden action.

"There's half an hour until your birthday ends, Imai. Let's go out." He explained as he successfully pulled her out of her office seat and pulled her towards the elevator.

Her heels clicked along the tiles as Ruka rather ungracefully dragged her away from her office, where her paperwork was left unfinished.

"Huh, funny." She scoffed with a voice heavy in sarcasm. "Do you actually think restaurants are going to be open at this time?"

"Well, I know _something's _going to be open. We'll just make the best of what's left."

After much struggling, Hotaru finally managed to pull her hand out of Ruka's strong grip, but she maintained her cool expression as she faced him.

"Then it's not worth the travel. So forget it." She coldly said, as she turned on her heel and started her way back to her office, until the next words which came out of Ruka forced her to stop in her movement.

"I'll pay you five thousand yen, if you come with me."

As her secretary, he had always known her ultimate weakness. Hotaru hated feeling disadvantaged, but earning money was a habit, as well as a pure addiction.

In the end, she surrendered, but decided to fight his deal in order to improve her side of the bargain.

"…Raise it to fifteen thousand."

"No way."

"Yes way."

"…six thousand."

"Hah, no. Thirteen thousand."

"Six and a half."

"You're unexplainably cheap, Nogi. Twelve and a half."

"Cheap? Seven thousand is quite a lot of money, if you ask me."

"You're persistent, as well. Ten thousand. That's the lowest I can go."

Sigh. "In the end, I even have to pay to celebrate your birthday. Nine thousand."

"…Nine thousand, four hundred."

"Four hundred? What's the difference in four hundred yen?"

"Are you accepting it or not?"

Ruka exhaled at the stubbornness of his boss when it came to money. He guessed that she was considering the hidden worth of a four hundred yen value in her head at that very moment. The blonde looked down and noticed that she had already raised her hand to shake on the deal.

_Nine thousand four hundred yen, _Ruka thought to himself, _it's hefty, but it's worth it._

"Deal," He immediately accepted as he grabbed her hand instead of shaking it, and pulled her into the already open elevator, "Now, because of you and your delaying, there's ony twenty three minutes left."

_October 25__th__, 20XX – 11:50 p.m._

"Coming here was worth much more than nine thousand four hundred yen." Hotaru sighed, a hint of dread in her tone.

"Well there aren't many shops open at this time, like you said. In fact I think this shop is the only one open in the area." Ruka explained, unfazed by the state of his only option, as he pulled her towards the off-white plastic table and chairs in front of the store's doors.

"This is absolutely ridiculous, Nogi. This is a _convenience store. _Why are you even wasting your time?" She was starting to sound exasperated, as Ruka pulled out the plastic chair from underneath the table and made her sit down.

He smiled at her – which was a reaction that she wasn't expecting – before answering, "No one deserves to miss out on celebrating their birthday, Imai. Now stay here. I'll be right back."

_What in the world…? _She was speechless as she watched him walk through the sliding doors of the convenience store. Hotaru was stunned by his words, and a grin started to appear on her face, no matter how much she tried to fight it away.

Ruka was merely her secretary – one of whom had been working for her for ten months. Yet she couldn't believe the fact that he would waste his evening by forcing her to celebrate her birthday – something which she never really had the time to celebrate because of work. She had never met someone with so much motivation and compassion to do so, and the feeling she was experiencing was something completely new and foreign.

As Hotaru sat on the plastic chair wondering why, Ruka was rushing down the aisles of the store, scanning the shelves for what he was looking for. When he eventually reached the third aisle, he located a fist-sized chocolate chip muffin, a set of candles – even though he only needed one – and a lighter. However, that was not all he needed, when he immediately sped towards the gift section full of tinsel packs, birthday hats and crafts.

In the end, Ruka resorted to the mini pack of origami paper, and hurriedly brought the items to the counter. As the sales assistant took his time in scanning his items, he anxiously looked at his watch.

His foot started to tap against the floor, due to the fact that there was seven minutes left until the 26th. Seven minutes left until her birthday ended.

Ruka saw Hotaru still waiting outside, irritated by the slight wind. His eyes met her violet ones, and although he didn't admit it even to himself very often, he was mesmerised by them.

The blonde knew that if he said he didn't have a crush on Hotaru Imai, then he would have destroyed the functioning of a lie detector.

He smiled at her – even though she hadn't necessarily greeted him from the other side of the glass – before retrieving his purchased items in the plastic bag which the sales assistant handed him.

_October 25__th__, 20XX – 11:53 p.m._

"Happy birthday, Imai!" Ruka cheered as he placed the muffin – with a lit candle wedged in the middle – in front of her.

Hotaru simply sent him a look which he could easily read, but decided to ignore.

_Are you serious, Nogi?_

She crossed her arms over her chest as she stared at the muffin questioningly. It was in fact – despite how small and cheap it was – the first birthday cake she had received in twenty years. Even though the flame atop the burning candle was small, she suddenly felt overwhelmed in heat.

Ruka noticed her blank staring and spoke up, "Well, blow out the candle."

"Huh. And I thought you couldn't get even more pathetic…" Hotaru scoffed at his request – barely tongue-in-cheek – while turning her head away from both him and the cake.

"Well, I _am _paying you more than nine thousand yen for letting me bring you out of your murky office for your birthday, so you basically have no choice. It was a deal." He amusedly reminded – he actually wanted to see her blow out the candle, not because of the money. "And you have to make a wish."

From the tiniest change in her facial expression, he knew that he had won the mini argument for once – he considered it as a record for him, to win against her twice in a day.

Hotaru never backed out on deals – even when it was something as 'petty' as blowing out the flame on a wax birthday candle. She sighed, turned back towards the cake and sharply blew out the flame before turning away once again.

"There. Happy?"

Indeed, he was quite happy.

And, although it wasn't very noticeable, she was happy too.

_October 25__th__, 20XX – 11:56 p.m._

Ruka swiftly tore the thin plastic of the origami pack open, and threw it into the plastic bag with all of his other rubbish. He then located a piece of dull brown paper in the stack and started to fold it in clean creases.

He had developed a talent in folding origami ever since he was taught by a senior in high school, and because of his love for animals, he particularly liked the animals that could be made by origami.

Ruka could feel Hotaru's gaze on him, and even though he was glad that she wasn't trying to ignore him out of embarrassment anymore, he felt like she was analysing while he made tiny creases in the paper. He could also sense the second hand of his watch quickly ticking, and he sighed at the fact that time really did have no mercy on anyone.

When he made the final fold, he let out the long-held breath and raised the now different piece of paper in front of her eyes.

"Ta dah!" It was cheesy, but he found it relevant for the situation – no matter how awkward it felt to make such an exclamation.

Hotaru reached over and pinched it away from his hand, and looked at the piece of origami carefully.

It was an origami bear.

She unconsciously traced the tiny folds which had formed the bear shape, as well as the bottoms of its 'feet'. Even its ears perked up from its head, and she couldn't recall a single time when she had received a present just like it.

Hotaru had received countless awards and celebratory gifts – though not for her birthday – throughout the years, but nothing was able to compare to the sheer delight she felt as she held the paper bear in her hands.

It was just like Ruka to think spontaneously, even for a ten minute birthday party.

"Happy birthday, Imai." Ruka repeated as he presented her with the small gift, and he genuinely smiled at her reaction.

He was sure that it was something to be glad about, since he had ever seen such a stunned expression on the Ice Queen's face – and even more shockingly, a whisper of a smile.

Ruka, for the last time during their stay, glanced at his watch.

"Thank god," He breathed, breaking into a smile, "It's still a minute to twelve. Looks like I made it-"

"Thank you, Nogi." He was interrupted by Hotaru, whose expression had changed back into the usual calm and collected gaze, but she spoke those words with a hint of gratitude.

Ruka was glad that he could do something for his boss, who worked almost twenty-four-seven on her projects. He decided that the matter of why she hadn't celebrated her birthday in twenty years was something which was to be reserved for another time. But for now, it was the wrapping up of a half-hour birthday party which neither of them wanted to end, despite the strictness of time.

However, as he turned around and gestured for her to follow him, he didn't see the uncharacteristically sweet smile on Hotaru's face, which disappeared as soon as the clock struck twelve.

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**_A/N: Because I just realised that I've never written Rukaru fluff. :)_**


End file.
